Latest from Next TV in Psych

The Watchman: ‘Cash Cab’ Rolls on in N.Y.

michael.malone@futurenet.com (Michael Malone) — Mon, 04 Dec 2017 13:00:00 +0000

Cash Cab is back, five years after the mobile game show wrapped. Ben Bailey hosts once again, but the Discovery Channel program feels a wee bit different. “It’s been a while since we made new episodes, and television moved on,” executive producer Tony Tackaberry said. “So we modernized it, adapted it.”

That includes digital lifelines and celebrities hopping into the cab, helping the contestant answer questions. Famous people signed up include Matthew Perry, Brooke Shields and Scott Bakula. “They got right into the tone and feel of the game,” Lion USA’s Tackaberry said.

To truly modernize Cash Cab, which (re) starts tonight (Dec. 4), might that mean shifting from taxicabs to Uber? Tackaberry said it’s something they’ve thought about. “There’s something still so iconic about yellow cabs in New York City,” he countered. “People really respond to little yellow cabs.”

The second season of Shut Eye, with Jeffrey Donovan playing a con man with a chain of fortune-telling storefronts in Los Angeles, kicks off on Hulu Wednesday (Dec. 6). Production shifted from Vancouver to L.A., and John Shiban is now showrunner. “It was conceived and written to be about Los Angeles,” Shiban said. “Shooting in Canada, Hulu felt it was lacking a bit of L.A. flavor and character.”

Shiban knew Shut Eye producers Mark Johnson and Melissa Bernstein from Breaking Bad. He said a goal for the Breaking Bad scribes was creating a “water cooler moment” — a scene that prompted discussion at the office the next day.

Shiban said there’s a “scary-funky-interesting moment” in season two, episode two. Donovan’s Charlie thinks he’s struck his son with his car, but it turns out he hit a “creepyass doll,” Shiban said. “It’s a really great moment.”

On a lighter note, Psych: The Movie runs on USA Network Thursday night (Dec. 7), picking up where the series left off in 2014. James Roday’s Shawn Spencer and Dulé Hill’s Gus Guster are chasing down bad guys in San Francisco. Roday and Hill are executive producers.

Hill said Psychnever really wrapped. “From the time the show ended, it’s always been about us moving the story on,” he said. “The main thing was timing.”

Psych ran for eight seasons on USA. As with American Idol restarting in March, one wonders about the ideal amount of time to be off the air before a show returns. Roday said he believes Psych got it right. “Three years is enough time to be missed,” he said, “but not be forgotten.”

He referred to the movie as “a thank you present for the best eight years of our lives.”

Creator Steve Franks plans on doing multiple Psych movies. “As long as fans want it, there’s an appetite for it,” Hill said, “we’ll be down to do it.”

USA Net's Jackie De Crinis Departs

thomas.umstead@futurenet.com (R. Thomas Umstead) — Wed, 27 Apr 2016 19:00:00 +0000

USA Network’s head of programming Jackie De Crinis is leaving the network after signing a production deal with Universal Cable Productions, the company said Wednesday.

De Crinis, most recently served as executive vice president of original programming for USA, will develop and produce original projects for the studio as part of the new agreement with Universal Cable Productions. One of her first projects is original drama Eyewitness, based on the Norwegian crime drama of the same name, according to the studio.

De Crinis is responsible for developing such USA hits as Mr. Robot, Royal Pains, Suits, Psych and Monk.

“Jackie is an exceptional talent and has developed some of the most iconic shows on television,” said Dawn Olmstead, Executive Vice President, Development, Universal Cable Productions sai9d in a statement. “I look forward to bringing her insight and experience as a producer to our team. We are fortunate to have her.”

Sending Out Series With Dignity

Mike Reynolds — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 12:45:00 +0000

Cable networks often launch their big, high-profile scripted series with much fanfare, but rarely do they allow those shows to bow out on a high note at the end of their run.

Over the next two weeks, three shows that premiered successfully and generated strong ratings over the years will come to an end. VH1’s Single Ladies, the network’s first scripted series when it debuted in 2011, will air its last episode today (March 24), as producer Queen Latifah has decided to move on to other projects. The series about three friends and their relationships with significant others, as well as themselves, drew a then network-high 1.7 million viewers in its first season. It averaged 2.8 million with seven days or replays. In the third and final season, it’s averaging 2.3 million viewers on a live-plus-seven-day basis.

USA Network plans a proper send-off for Psych, the second longest-running series in the channel’s history. The dramedy, starring James Roday and Dulé Hill as faux detectives, ends its eighth and final season on Wednesday (March 26), falling only a few episodes short of Monk’s lengthy run. Since launching in 2006, Psych has been a staple of USA’s blue-sky, entertaining procedural shows that have propelled its eight-year run as cable’s most-watched network. The show’s ratings have declined over the years, but Psych maintained a loyal following throughout its run, worthy of the video sendoff USA produced to prepare viewers for the finale.

USA also will air a one-hour special after the finale — Psych After Pshow — hosted by Attack of the Show’s Kevin Pereira.

Syfy on April 7 bids farewell to drama series Being Human, based on the BBC series of the same name about a ghost, werewolf and vampire living under one roof. The series is averaging 1.8 million viewers (on a live-plus seven- day basis) in its final season, down from 2.1 million viewers in season three.

Few scripted series on broadcast or cable television last longer than two or three seasons, despite the abundance of successful drama series on numerous cable networks.

When a series does break through and finds longevity and success, then it has earned a chance to say goodbye to its audience on its own terms.

Single Ladies, Psych and Being Human will get to do just that.

Cable networks often launch their big, high-profile scripted series with much fanfare, but rarely do they allow those shows to bow out on a high note at the end of their run.

Over the next two weeks, three shows that premiered successfully and generated strong ratings over the years will come to an end. All of them were given the chance to wrap up storylines for the benefit of their fans, the networks said.

VH1’s Single Ladies, the network’s first scripted series when it debuted in 2011, will air its last episode today (March 24), as producer Queen Latifah has decided to move on to other projects. The series about three friends and their relationships with significant others, as well as themselves, drew a then network-high 1.7 million viewers in its first season. It averaged 2.8 million with seven days or replays. In the third and final season, it’s averaging 2.3 million viewers on a live-plus-seven-day basis.

USA also will air a one-hour special after the finale — Psych After Pshow — hosted by Attack of the Show’s Kevin Pereira.

The network recently released a YouTube video in preparation for the finale featuring the cast discussiong what they'll miss most about the show. “(The writers) saved the best for last ... leading to a not-to-be-missed send-off for Aidan, Sally, Josh and Nora,” said the network.

Few scripted series on broadcast or cable television last longer than two or three seasons, despite the abundance of successful drama series on numerous cable networks.

When a series does break through and finds longevity and success, then it has earned a chance to say goodbye to its audience on its own terms.

Single Ladies, Psych and Being Human will get to do just that.